I Just Thought You Should Know
by trinchardin
Summary: a saitou fic w/ a fic challenge... +ok, ppl...guessing from the # of reviews i got (appx. 1) i guess u don't like my trio...sorry i was bored and when i'm  bored i tend 2 go crazy...anyway for ur info the 3 go together...technically my 2 povs come before


Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from Rurouni Kenshin (like Saitou Hajime) or the show itself, but I do own my original character, Rei.  
  
Author's Note: I know that some...no alot...of ppl will think that Saitou is out of character here but hey ppl cut me some slack! This is a FANFIC...where anything can happen...bwahahahaha. 'Sides Saitou's only human...though Madam Hydra's Nigthwitch series (READ IT!) suggests otherwise... If you hate this character or don't like the idea of him acting outside his normal sardonic, stoic, sarcastic...must I go on?...character, then leave now. If not, have fun! Warning: 1) This is not a humor fic as u can see by the category; 2) This is a little angsty (slightly darkfic); 3) More will come if I get a lot of GOOD reviews. Lastly, here's a challenge for u writers who've stuck around thru my long A.N. - A married male RK character...an old female flame's unexpected arrival...along with the news of a kid the guy never knew he had. Corny...but hey so am I. On with the fic...  
  
I Just Thought You Should Know  
  
Saitou Hajime stared silently at the delicate-looking woman seated in front of him. Dressed in a simple but expensive kimono, she was the image of the typical Japanese housewife. But, she wasn't one nor had she ever been one. She was a Shinsen Gumi ninja as well as the widow of a Shinsen Gumi Captain. She'd been one of the best until she disappeared shortly after her husband's tragic death at the beginning of the war. Saitou hadn't seen her for years...since that night in Kyoto...  
  
-----  
  
He looked out into the night sky painted red with the fires that burned downtown and clouded by their thick black smoke. Then, he turned to look back in the dark room. Although he'd heard nothing but silence, he knew that she was awake. The sound of a match being lit broke the silence and then he saw her by the lit candle that sent out a faint glow of light. She sat on the futon with her long legs curled up under her, dressed only in a silk black robe. Her clothes were scattered on the floor where they had fallen. Her eyes gleamed in the light as she looked back at him fully-dressed.   
  
He strode silently across the room to stop in front of her and brushed away a stray lock of her cascading dark tresses. She did not pull away like she would have before as he kissed her lightly. He gently touched her cheek and looked into her eyes but let his hand drop when she looked away.   
  
"I should go."  
  
She nodded, her face still turned away. Then, he was gone.  
  
-----  
  
"It's been a long time, Rei."  
  
She smiled faintly. The years had been kind to her. Not a single wrinkle marred her delicate features with its almond-shaped eyes, fine nose, and red rosebud lips. Nor were there any silver strands in her dark hair, pulled back in a neat bun without a strand out of place.   
  
Her face was pale and drawn while her eyes sparkled like dark gems and a feverish flush colored her cheeks. And now under the bright, glaring light of his office lamp, he noticed how her pale skin was almost translucent. Although his face revealed nothing, he was disturbed at her appearance. Yet he said nothing as he handed her the statement to sign, commiting to memory every detail of her appearance.  
  
"So, you just found an old...acquaintance...of yours mutilated in his room at the inn that you shared," he said as she went over her statement.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What were you doing in his room?"  
  
"To get a book he promised to lend me."  
  
"This book?" He picked up a book with the dead man's name printed on the front.  
  
"Yes," she said signing the statement.  
  
"Do you really expect me to believe that?"  
  
"I don't know. Should I?"   
  
He said nothing for a moment but stare at her. Even now she avoided his gaze, her eyes lowered. He knew better than to think that it was due to modesty. Yes, she'd acted the part of an innocent, genteel woman in front of his men but now they were alone and there was no need for the act. Finally, he spoke in a gentle voice that would have surprised - even shocked - those who now knew him.  
  
"Why are you her, Rei?"   
  
He reached into his pocket for a cigarette and lit it, offering her one as he did. She shook her head much to his suprise.  
  
"Those things will kill you, you know?"  
  
A raised eyebrow was as close to displayed disbelief as he got.  
  
"You didn't answer my question."  
  
"Business."  
  
"I trust that your...business...has been successfully concluded and you'll be on your way. I don't want to arrest you but I will if I have to. Tokyo is no place for you. There are still people who'd be glad to see you dead if they knew you were still alive. Powerful people. You shouldn't have come."  
  
"You don't want me here?"  
  
He stiffened unconciously in his seat as a pained look crossed his face.   
  
*How can you think that? You know I've always wanted to be with you. But it's not safe here and now...*  
  
"Rei, I'm..."  
  
"Married. I know."   
  
He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  
  
"So, is your business here finished?"  
  
"No. There's one thing left."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You."  
  
The blood drained from his face as thoughts raced through his head.  
  
*What?!? Can it be...but Tokio...*  
  
"What do you mean?"   
  
He asked, his voice calm, revealing nothing of the turmoil within him. He went around the table to sit across her. She placed her signed statement back on the table and then clasped her hands on her lap. But not before his quick eyes caught sight of her wrist. He yanked her hand towards him and flicked back her sleeve to better see her wrist.  
  
She'd leapt to her feet in surprise at his unexpected behavior, a hand automatically going for a concealed knife no doubt. The hand paused in midreach and she sat down without word as he examined her bare wrist. It was bruised with obvious injection marks. He scowled as he let go...rather pushed away...her arm.  
  
"Why are you doing this to yourself? I never thought you to be the self-destructive type."  
  
"I'm not."  
  
"Then, explain that. It's drugs, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes. But it's not what it looks like."  
  
"So, explain."  
  
"I'm dying."  
  
He looked at her, clearly stunned. Her lips quirked in a brief smile as his cigarette dangled in his gaping mouth. She'd always thought that nothing could ever surprise him. Finally, he came to his senses and snapped his mouth shut, almost decapitating his cigarette.  
  
"You're dying," he finally said in a flat, emotionless voice.  
  
Still, he could not hide the quick flash of panic that came to his eyes. The panic not only of truly becoming the last of the Shinsen Gumi in a harsh, unfriendly era, but also that of losing her all over again.  
  
"Yes. Morphine is the only thing that keeps me from passing out from the pain. My doctor gave me a week to live. ...It's been a month. I guess I'm too stubborn. I refuse to die until my business is finished," she said with a sad smile. "If things were different, I wouldn't have come at all to pain you like this, but..."  
  
"But..."  
  
"I just thought you should know...about our daughter."  
  
His face turned the same deathly pale as his clenched fists. When he finally spoke to break the tense silence, it was with a strangled-sounding voice.  
  
"Our daughter," he repeated.  
  
"Yes...little Amiko."  
  
"Little Amiko," he repeated again.  
  
He leaned back in the chair, obviously in shock.  
  
"You don't have to worry about her..."  
  
That immediately shook him from his stupor as his head jerked up and he looked at her with eyes flashing.  
  
"What kind of man do you think I am? You're going to leave our daughter alone in this world and you expect me to do NOTHING?"  
  
"You're a good man and I know that if things were different you'd be a good father to her..."  
  
"What's different? Will you stop beating around the bush and get to the point, Rei!"  
  
She sighed and looked away from him but not before he saw the crystal drop that streaked down her cheek.  
  
"She's dead," she said so softly that he barely caught the words. "Drowned."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
He didn't know how he was supposed to feel. There was no emotion in his voice. Only a dull ache in his chest. It was strange, offering condolences for a daughter he never knew he had.   
  
*What did she look like? Like Rei? If only she was still alive...maybe it wouldn't be so hard to lose Rei all over again...*  
  
"It was a long time ago," she said calmly, having regained control over her emotions. She got up and headed for the door. "I'm sorry for doing this to you. I just thought you should know."  
  
  
That was the last time he saw her alive. A few days later, her dead body was found in her room at the inn. The doctor said that her body had finally failed her. Saitou knew better. Rei's business was finished. Now, she was with the man she loved...and Amiko.  
  
He gently took the folded paper clasped in her hand. A letter for him. As he opened it, another much smaller sheet of paper fell out. He bent to pick it up and saw a realistic sketch of a laughing Rei with a smiling little girl in her arms...Amiko. He turned the paper to look at the back to read the words:   
  
I'm sorry. Thank you for loving me and giving me Amiko. Rei.   
  
A small smile flickeered on his lips as he carefully slipped the paper into his wallet. Then, he read the letter. It was brief and to the point. She asked to be buried in a little seaside town in Hokkaido where she'd been born. Her husband, Kenji, and little Amiko were already buried there.  
  
He went on leave for work and told Tokio that there was something he had to do. She didn't question him. She never did. Just told him to be careful like she always did.  
  
It was a freezing trip to the northern province and the fact that it was the dead of winter didn't help matters. The ground was practically rock solid from the cold and buried underneath a white blanket of snow. And the snow just keep on falling. When the brief ceremony was over and the village priest had left, Saitou was left alone wrapped tightly in a thick, black overcoat. He could hear the faint sound of waves beating against the nearby shore and smell the salty sea breeze.  
  
Three graves. Two with faded characters as time and nature did its work were almost covered by the soft, powdery snow. A new one stood next to them with newly engraved characters on the cold black marble.  
  
He stood before it and whispered words Rei would never hear.  
  
"I know that you never stopped loving him, but I just thought you should know...I love you."  



End file.
